On the Issues Episode 136: Wiola Rębecka

Today’s guest is Dr. Wiola Rebecka, a Doctor of Psychology and human rights activist whose work focuses on the long-term consequences of conflict-related sexual violence. In this episode, Alon and Wiola discuss the issue of abducted Ukrainian children in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which now marks its 4th year. They discuss the magnitude of this crisis in terms of number of children abducted, the various abuses taking place against abducted children, including forced Russianization and in some cases torture and sexual violence, and the support systems needed to care for these children in the aftermath.

Originally aired February 24, 2026

Full bio
Dr. Wioletta (Wiola) Rebecka is a Doctor of Psychology and human rights activist whose work focuses on the long-term consequences of conflict-related sexual violence. She is the author of the War Rape Survivors Syndrome (WRSS) framework, the heuristic model of the Social Political Nervous System (SPNS), and the SERS method (Stabilization, Education, Redirection, Self-awareness), developed for therapeutic work with survivors of sexual violence.